He Was There
by The Clockwork Corpse
Summary: When she needed someone the most, when her fall into despair seemed endless, he was there to pick her up. SeemOC
1. Late Night Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Jak 3 and I'm not making money from this. Jak 3 and it characters are the sole property of Naughty Dog. The only thing I own is the O.C. taking role in this story.

Short Notes: 1: This is my first attempt in doing a fanfiction based off the Jak and Daxter series; please go easy on the flames. 2: This story takes place several months after Jak 3, but it is not involved with the Jak X timeline and events. 3: This was meant to be a one-shot, but I got to into it. And 4: Grammar is not one of my best subjects, so I apologize if there is some confusion.

I'm doing this because I like Seem a lot, and I've been meaning to do a story with her in it and/or involving my created O.C.

Chapter One: Late Night Meeting

Had it been that long, already? Several months had passed, and in those several months, so much has happened.

It seemed just yesterday, when the explosion of the destroyed Deterraformer echoed across the desert. The discovery that that their creators, their Precursors, were fuzzy little rodents, Ottsels, shocked a lot of people.

And with this shock, brought many changes.

Some changes made things better, some where unsettling.

It made hundreds of people put their beliefs, morals and existence into question. It actually made some people rethink their lives, and try to change their ways.

People who were normally rude and ill mannered, are now acting kinder towards others. Some who were timid, are now standing up for themselves, rather allow people to walk all over them.

Some stuck up and overreacting, turned laid back and mellow. Some laid back and mellow, turned serious and stuck up.

Some even changed the way they look. Those who where usually messy, began to dress nicely, and those who overdress, loosened their ties a bit (So to speak).

But, some changes made a big difference, especially to those who had lived their whole life studying the Precursors and their technology.

What else was there to do, after meeting your makers, only to find out they're rodents? Very little, truth be told.

Maybe, that is why she was still sitting there, after so long.

Seem sat silently on the rocky shore of the ocean, staring off into the distance. She had been sitting there for hours, starting late afternoon. Now it was late at night, the citizens of Spargus all gone to bed.

So much had happened to her, these past seven months. She wasn't expecting much to happened, but that thought was killed the moment the fist monk went out the door. Since the discovery that Ottsels were the Precursors, some of the others even gave up their monk-hood, having thought it was now a waste.

What's the point of continuing? Sure, there was now little to do, but to leave the temple altogether?

It all started the first month, with a major religious debate. People were asking the monks if they knew all the time, and if so, why wasn't they told? It made most of the other monks stressed out to be harassed, and when the first one walked out, a vision came to Seem.

She feared the he wasn't the only one. Soon, more left, some saying good-bye, others simply walked out.

It was just last week, the final two was gone, and Seem was left alone at the temple.

The sudden solitude was not as bad at first, but then it slowly became irritable. Seem grew tired of wandering the empty halls. She read many times; ride a Leaper a few times around outside, and anything else to pass the time.

But, it was all very different, now with the others gone. She never really conversed with the other monks casually, rather enjoying their presence instead. Now she was left alone, with no one to even stand next to or even speak words to.

Jak, the Hero, had returned to Haven some time ago, leaving the city of Spargus under the rule of the offsider Sig.

The last Seem had saw him, was when he returned to temple a day or two after defeating Errol. He came there to thank her for helping out, and to give back her light and dark crystals.

She missed Jak and Orange Lighting, growing attach to their presence. She only wished she wasn't so hard on them at first.

Kleiver had disappeared some time ago, going to a place called Kras City, along with some of the monks. He left a friend of his in charge of the garage while he was gone.

Now, there was nothing. Seem had no one now and she was starting to grow tired of it. She sighed, rubbing her brow in weariness. She very rarely grew lonely, for she was always around the other monks. But not they where gone, Jak was gone, Kleiver was gone, and Damas.

The death of her guardian Damas was something she didn't foresee. She tried to hide her sadness at the Precursors' leave and the victory celebration that followed, and was quite successful. But when she returned to the temple, when she sealed herself in her room, she did something she hadn't done since the death of her grandfather twelve years earlier; she cried.

She cried till there were no more tears to spill.

She now felt that way, she felt like crying, because there was nothing left.

She sighed again, thinking about returning to the temple. She then thought against it, there was no one there anyway. She then decided, thinking it better to stay the night in a nearby inn.

She stood to leave, but her mind was running with so many thoughts, that she didn't focus on where she was stepping and slipped off the edge of the rock she sat. It was sudden, and Seem was able to let out a slight yelp, when she was enveloped in arms.

She stood there, breathing heavily from the sudden shock, her head against something soft and breathing just as hard as she was.

"That would have been nasty." Said a voice. The arms slowly released her, and Seem noticed what she was now on a higher rock then the one she sat. "Good thing I was here or you would have said hello to the ground."

Seem turned to who it was, finding the voice it possessed very familiar. When she looked, she came face-to-face, with Thade.

Thade was quite well known around Spargus, though Jak hadn't the chance to meet him. Much like every other Wastelander, Thade was found out in the desert, banished from Haven City. But unlike all the others, Thade was just a mere child when Damas found him, huddled over the wounded form of his mother, close to the Oasis.

Thade's story was never the happiest one. His mother was a peace loving woman, and it was that same feature that had her banished. Thade, more like his father, was brash and headstrong, having sealed his destiny when he attacked the Guards who were arresting his mother.

A child of seven, and a mother who was ill, was thrown into the desert to fend for themselves.

When Damas found them, he was unconscious over his mother, trying to protect her from the desert winds and tearing sands.

Thade recovered just fine, but his mother never made the night.

And ever since then, Thade was part of Spargus, having won his battle amulet when he was older.

He was well known, for being one of the most hard working Wastelander anyone has ever seen. He helped rebuild Spargus' homes after the Dark Maker attack. He assisted Kleiver on more then one occasion, herding Leapers or gathering some artifacts.

In fact, he helped Kleiver so much, that he left Thade in charge of the garage in his absence.

He was different then the other Wastelanders, having a less muscled and hardened physique. He was a about an inch or so higher then Seem, and was quite thin. Though, he did have a decent layer of muscle on him, though not as much.

Seem knew him well, having bumped into him on many occasions. She questioned, however, of why he was out here late at night.

"You alright?" Thade's voice joggled Seem out of her thoughts. "It wasn't that bad of a trip. I mean, you'd get a good headache out of it, but still."

Trip? That's right, she almost fell. She looked to see where she last sat, and analyzing the surrounding area, if she had fallen and not caught, she would have fell into a rather flat rock jutting out of the sand. Headache indeed.

She turned back to Thade and noticed something very different about him. One was that his face, usually covered with a layer of dirt, a great bushy beard and long bangs from his hair, was now clean, and shaved, his hair now a much more shorter length.

The other thing was what he wore. Like every Wastelander, Thade wore heavy padded clothing to protect from the desert wind, and the occasional a piece of armor that was taken of a killed Metal Head.

What he wore now, was a simple light tunic, and a pair of Leaper leather britches. Seeing Thade in such a manner, which was not very normal for a Wastelander to look like, made Seem looked at him in a different way.

"Your face is clean." She suddenly blurt out. She couldn't say thank you, oh no, that was not on her mind, so she said the only thing was thinking about. She mentally slapped herself for saying such a curt thing, after being saved from the person.

But Thade just chuckled, rubbing his new bare chin in thought. "Strange way to thank me, but yeah, I decided to go with a new look."

He suddenly pointed to her. "And you're not wearing your armor, I see."

This was true, for it was one of many changes to Seem. The Precursor armor she grew so fond of and wore on many occasions was now sitting at the foot of her bed back at the temple. All she wore now these days where the robes and a dark colored full sleeved shirt. She still wore the ceremonial hood, however, not wanting to go that far into change.

Before Seem even could answer, Thade continued.

"You look better without it though. You wear that thing all the damn time. It must be stuffy." Thade looked at Seem from head to toe, then stopping to look her in the eyes. "In fact, you look more, feminine, without it."

Feminine? Seem didn't know to either be flattered or insulted. She gave Thade a somewhat hard look and was about to speak to him, when he stepped back from her.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was rude." Thade said. He turned to leave; looking over his shoulder to Seem. "I'll just, be on my way."

"No, wait." Seem stopped him, not even giving him two steps. "Thank you."

Why did she thank him? He somewhat offended her, and she was thanking him.

Once more, her mind went through thoughts. She would admit it, that over the years she has been here, she had given everyone an androgynous impression of herself.

Being 'feminine', wasn't really an important thing to her, having lived with a bunch of boys most of her life.

That was another one of her thoughts, being feminine. She didn't even remember the reason for why she removed her armor. She even contemplated removing the hood at one point, but she didn't know how people would react to her. Hell, some gave her a look when she walked by without her armor on.

Thade turned back to her, a smile on his face. "Thanks for calling me clean."

A silence hung over the air, as the two looked at each other. The silence was short lived, as Thade spoke up.

"Why are you out here by yourself? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, teaching some monks?" He asked.

"They have all left, seeking a new life." Seem responded solemnly.

"And is this why Miss Seem is out here this late at night, falling off of rocks?" Thade asked.

"The temple has grown too quiet for my tastes, I just wanted to find someplace with more life." Said Seem.

"I haven't seen you in a while though. I'd say about, three weeks, since you were last here." Said Thade thoughtfully. "It must get lonely up there, with no one to talk to."

Lonely. Yes, Seem knows the feeling all to well.

"But hey, I'm here. What say you and me go grab a…." Thade suddenly stopped himself, rubbing his brow. "There I go, being rude again. What am I thinking, asking a monk a drink? You guys must have made this vow or…"

A drink? Thade was inviting Seem for a drink? Seem had heard of this before, mainly from Kleiver. Something like "A nice frosty pint sounds nice right now" or "I could use a good drink".

She never knew what Kleiver meant about it, but if it was something that was nice and made him want one, she supposed that she needed one too.

"I don't mind." Seem suddenly said, causing Thade to look up at her. "I would like a drink."

Thade looked surprised at first, but then softened and smiled.

"Then let's go, and have a couple for fun."


	2. A Friendly Chat

Chapter Two: A Friendly Chat

It is a rather curious thing, to open a pub in a place where people have not a lot of money. Many have asked themselves if it was wise, to do such a thing.

How would you pay? And, where would you get such a drink, being that the desert is so dreadfully dry?

However, that didn't stop old man Seeder. He gathered many different plants from the desert, mashed them up, added a considerable amount of water, and tested them.

Some tasted ok; some made him sick for weeks. It was one day that he came across a proper combination of a plant he had found near the base of one of the mountains and water, and a secret ingredient (He took it to his grave, only told his daughter what it was) and he made a drink that tasted great, and had the inebriated state of drunkenness that alcohol had afterwards.

He had one problem, and that was he had to keep the liquid cool, for it stales rather rapidly. He devised an incredible plan, which consisted of digging deep within the earth to make a cooling cellar, as he called it.

He had this little thought that was "The deeper you dig, the cooler it will get", and surprisingly, after digging for some time, he had stopped at a point; about fifty feet underground, where it was just cool enough to preserve the drink.

Damas didn't really approve of Seeder going to great lengths, just to open a small business, though he let it pass, as the deed was done.

It had no name, so everyone just called it "Seeder's House", basically because it was, as he lived and worked in the same place.

This raises the question of pay. Seeder was not a greedy man, and he came up with a plan. A trade. Something of use or something of value, for a drink or two (Depending on how much he liked the item that was being traded). If you had nothing to trade, you still get a drink, but no more until you give him something decent. A sort of tab, actually.

But then, there was another way to get a drink, and it was this method that Thade, and quiet a few others, got their drink. If you had done a task, something simple like help clean his little pub, or assist him a night, your reward would be a drink, or more (Depending on what a good job you have done).

Though, people like Thade, Kliever and once Damas, got their drinks for free, as long as they lived.

How? Well, it was Kleiver who drove old man Seeder out in the desert when he wanted to collect plants, Damas had took him in when he was close to death out in the desert, and Thade, well, you can guess he helped quite a lot.

When Seeder had died, he had given his daughter (Coincidently with the same name, Seeder) his pub.

Daughter Seeder and Thade, where actually close friends, and on his free time, Thade helped her out (Like in his good nature).

Seem had heard of the place called "Seeder's House", having heard Damas and Kleiver say it a few times. But she wasn't expecting what she saw, once she walked in the front door.

It was an average place, a few wooden tables and chairs here and there, and a long high counter at the far end. Behind said counter what looked like a bookcase, but instead of books there was corked bottles filled with liquid.

There where a few people here. One man sitting in the corner was fast asleep, a mug sitting upright in his hand. A couple was close by, engaged in a conversation about the behavior of their son. And there was one guy who was talking to a slim woman standing near him.

"Come on now, three beers is enough, pay up." The woman said, placing a hand on her hip in annoyance. She was a tall woman, short red hair, and a little voluptuous.

The man who she was talking to smiled, fishing into a pack tied on his side. After a few second of looking, the man pulled out a large, yellow, egg shaped gem, about fifteen inches long and four or five inches in radius.

"This," The man started, placing the gem on the table with a 'thud'. "This skull gem was pulled off a rather nasty Metal Head that had attacked me out in the desert a few weeks ago. Me and the beast got into a big fight, my gun a-blazing and it a-roaring. I killed the bugger, but not before it gave me this."

The man lifted the side of his shirt up, showing three large, deep jagged groves over his ribs.

Seem, who was watching and listening nearby, shudder from that sight. It wasn't rare for Wastelanders to flaunt a scar or two, having remembered Kleiver continuously talking about the vehicle engine that exploded near his head, resulting in the scars that were left in its wake on the right side of his face, nonstop quite a while back.

The woman looked at the skull gem on the table, then to the man, then to the scars on his side. After a minute or so of silence, she reached down, picked up the gem, tucked in safely under her arm, and placed down a mug she had in her other hand.

"For the pain." She told the man, walking off.

Seem and Thade had already sat in a table close to the counter. Thade was watching the woman, as she went behind the counter, and kneeled down. There was the sound of a key in a lock, and soon a thump and lock again. The woman stood up, and she no longer had the skull gem. ("Must have locked it in a box." Seem thought.)

She leaned on the counter, looking around, till she saw Seem and Thade, and she walked over to them.

She didn't speak right off the bat, instead looking down at Thade with a perplexed look. She suddenly reached up with her hand, tracing a finger along Thade's jaw and cheek.

"Well, well, well," She started, a smile creeping in her features. "Thade cleaned up his face. I don't care much for the clean shave though; you could have kept something, like a soul patch."

The woman laced her fingers in Thade's hair, rubbing it violently, chuckling as she did. "Short hair looks nice on you, but there's less for me to grab now." She grabbed Thade's hair in a fist, and tugged at it playfully.

Thade chuckled, swatting at the woman's hand. The woman let go of him, and she looked at him with slight annoyance.

"Mind telling me where you been? Nothing but silence from you in the past few days, and you now come back wanting a drink." She said.

"I've been thinking. I mean, Kleiver left me his job practically." Thade said.

"Ah, I see. You want a beer?" The woman asked.

"One for me, and one for my guest." Said Thade, signaling to Seem.

The woman turned to Seem, and her eyes went wide in surprise. "Seem? I never thought I'd see you in here some day. I believe we never met."

Seem shook her head, and was suddenly met with a hand before her.

"The names Seeder." She shook Seem's hand. "And I own this nest of…"

While she was talking, her eyes fell upon a man in the corner.

"Clint! If you're going to sleep, go home!" She yelled, walking off. She then turned to them. "I'll get your drinks."

Seem was uncomfortable, shifting in her seat. She kept looking around, looking at the many trophies on the walls, (Mainly the heads of Metal Heads), a few portraits of people, and a gun of a sort mounted above the front door.

"I must apologize for Seeder." Thade's voice grabbed Seem's attention. "She's like an older sister to me. And ever since her father died, she's been more protective over me."

Thade chuckled, looking over to Seeder, who was trying to wake the man named Clint. "I can take care of myself well, but it's nice to have someone looking over you."

There was a silence that clings in the air, except for the occasional chattering from the couple, and Seeder humming to herself (She finally got Clint to leave).

"I'm curious." Seem said, speaking up. "Why is Seeder protective?"

Thade sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Me and her, we been together for years, her father watched over me. Me and her, we're family. She didn't like me at first, but she grew to think of me as a little brother. When the original Seeder; her father, died, she took it upon herself to finish what he started, and that was to take care of me."

Seem thought this over. "Damas had ordered Seeder to take care of you, when you where younger?"

Thade shook his head. "He volunteered. He told Damas that he liked the way I looked, and that I had a lot of potential. He was like the father I never had."

This raised another question in Seem's mind, and though it would be rude to ask such a question to Thade, curiosity got the better of her.

"You never knew your father? Hasn't your mother ever told you about him?"

Thade seemed distant for a few second, till he responded. "My mom told me that he went to the Underground, to rise against Baron Praxis, while we were in Haven. KIA, I was told."

Seem's ears twitched in curiosity, not knowing what 'KIA' meant. "What's KIA?"

Thade chuckled a bit. "I would understand that you wouldn't know the term, being all peace loving and all. KIA is short of 'Killed In Action'. That means, my dad had died, fighting Baron Praxis and his Krimson Guard."

Seem suddenly felt bad for asking. She thought it best to change the subject, probably to something less depressing.

"What was your mother like?" She asked.

She was glad to see a smile on Thade's face. "She was a very kind woman, and very patient. I remember times that me and her would spend hours, teaching me to lace my shoes. I wasn't the brightest of kids, but she was patient with me, going over a lesson more then once to make sure I had it."

He chuckled, rubbing his brow. "I remember this one time, when we were in the bazaar, I saw this guy selling old Precursor armor, and he had this helmet that I liked. I asked my mom if I could get it, and she simply picked it up and placed it on my head, and told me 'What use is a helmet if it doesn't even fit?' She told me, that if the man was still there and had it when I got older, that she would get it for me then."

Thade stopped, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I got it for my birthday a few months later, and I wore that thing all the time. I still didn't fit properly, but my mom told me I looked good with it either way."

"Your mother sounds really nice." Seem said, thinking about her own mother, but no thoughts came.

"She was… she was. But, she was never the healthy one. I can't remember what it was; something about her body was having trouble fighting viruses and disease. Made her get sick really easily." Thade sighed again, staring blankly into the table, deep in thought. He wasn't there for long, when Seeder came up and placed two mugs in front of them.

"Enjoy." She said with a smile. "And don't hesitate to ask for more."

Thade took one of the mugs and took a quick swig. Seem looked down into the other mug before her, looking into the brown liquid inside. She brought it to her nose, sniffed it slightly (Smelled funny), and took a quick drink.

She suddenly pulled it away, coughing slightly.

"Bitter." She said to herself. Thade didn't notice, but did look up to when he heard her cough.

"You ok?" He asked.

Seem smiled slightly to him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"_How can someone find this refreshing?"_ She thought, looking back into her mug. She took another drink, this time it wasn't as bad.

"So, tell me a little about yourself." Thade said.

Seem looked up to him, a little confused. "Pardon?"

"Well, I guess its fair, since I told you things about me. Like; tell me about some of your family." Thade said.

Seem considered this, and decided to tell him. _"Might as well."_

"The only family I knew was my grandfather. He knew Damas long before he was banished to the Wasteland. Baron Praxis had it in his head that since Damas and my grandfather was good friends; that they would try anything to over throw him. My grandfather knew that the KG would one day come to his door, so he had to leave Haven. I was just an infant at the time, and my mother asked my grandfather to take me with him, take me somewhere safe."

Seem, this time, was the one that sighed. "I never knew my mother and father, but they must have loved me so much to let go of me so soon. I was brought here, and Damas was more then happy to let my grandfather stay. My grandfather died of old age, when I was six. Damas swore that he would take care of me, and soon he gave me a place to stay, which was with his monks in the temple. Safest place he could think of, other then Spargus or his palace."

"And your time up in the temple slowly made you into who you are now." Thade suddenly added.

"The high priest told me that I had a special light to me, and offered to teach me the ways of the monk, despite me being a girl. I agreed, thinking that one day I could become so useful to Damas, that he would show me where Haven City was." Seem was periodically taking drinks from her mug, not really noticing it.

"When I was older, and I asked Damas about Haven, he warned me, that I shouldn't even try to return, for if the KG knew who I was, they would surly kill me. My original idea was to try to find my parents, and bring them to Spargus, but something, deep down in my heart, told me it was pointless. They must have died by now, with all that's been going on. If not that, then the KG and Baron Praxis got a hold of them."

There was a silence again, and it was too quiet. The man who had paid Seeder with the skull gem was gone, along with the couple from earlier. The only ones there, was Thade, Seem and Seeder (Who was to busy cleaning mugs to listen to what Thade and Seem was talking about).

Thade looked into his mug thoughtfully. "Damn that Praxis. He had ruined both our lives, in everyway possible."

"But life has been kind to us both in a sense." Seem mused. "We're both alive, we both owe it to Damas for saving out lives, and we are away from Haven and its troubles."

Thade sat up, his mind working. "I'm curious, if that if Damas was never banished, and that we where never thrown out here; would we have met? Would we one day run into each other on the street?"

Seem smiled, thinking that it would most likely happened, one day or another.

Seem looked into her mug, and had noticed it was empty. She felt funny, though it wasn't bad. It was, bubbly.

"Excuse me? May I have another?"


	3. Drinking Beers and Falling Tears

Chapter Three: Drinking Beers and Falling Tears

"Oh God, what have I done?"

This particular mantra was constantly going over and over in his mind (Throwing in an "I'm going to Hell" every so often). He had not intended what had happened; he was expecting something along the lines of; a drink, a thank you, and a walk home. Perhaps even; a drink or two, a thank you, and a plan to meet again.

No, what he got was something different. He knew something was going too happed the moment Seem asked for a second beer. And soon a third, then a fourth, and then…

One hour, and about six beers later, he's dragging a once teetotaler monk (Who was babbling about something, though he couldn't make out what), with an arm around his neck into the night air, all the while the little chant of "Oh God, what have I done?" was continuously going through his mind in rapid succession.

It was one thing to offer a monk a drink, another to actually _give_ a monk a drink. But getting the monk drunk was an entirely different situation.

Why would a person do such a thing; offer a monk an alcoholic drink?

Truth was, he felt bad. Upon seeing Seem sitting on the shore, looking out to the ocean, her face a forlorn mask of depression, he felt bad. He was curious, of why she was there, why she was so sad, and worried about her.

He wanted to cheer her up, make her smile, and make her laugh.

However, he wanted them to be genuine and serene, not in the drunken fashion she was going about now.

"I-I-I need, to get - (hic) - home." Seem babbled out. Her arm was around Thade's neck, keeping her (Or at least trying too) up on her feet. But she was dragging her feet, weighing him down.

"Oh no. No, no, no. I'm not about to let you walk back to the temple like this." Thade told her.

Seem giggled, shaking a finger back and forth before Thade's face. "No, no, no, no, no, no. I, bothered you enough tonight, and I need to go. Besides, the others - (hic) - might be back."

"Then there is no way I'm letting you go back." Thade sighed. "If your pals find out what happened to you, I'm going to have a mob at my door."

"Then where are we going? Am I going home?" Seem asked. She was looking up at Thade with glazed ruby eyes, her ears drooping slightly.

"Well, not your home, at least." Thade told her.

Seem's face beamed suddenly, her ears perking up. "I get to sleep over?"

"Tonight you are. In the morning, I'll drive ya to the temple." Thade said.

Thade was rewarded with a great grin from the girl, and she start to hum to herself.

They soon came to Thade's home, a small house close to the garage. Thade had let go of Seem, letting her sit on a nearby rock, so he could unlock his door, all the while thinking to himself.

"_Way to go, Thade. You really out did yourself, getting her drunk like this, smart move. I'm going to get a lecture from Seeder, I just know it. Ok, just breathe. Let her sleep it off, whip up that sobering drink Seeder showed you, and drive her back to the temple. Oh lord, what will she be like in the morning? She's going to get real pissed."_

He had unlocked his door, and turned to Seem, just in time to see her tumble back on the stone she sat, giggling as she did. He walked up to her, took her hand and helped her to her feet.

As he did, Seem's hood fell back, and light brown locks fell over her face.

"Whoops." She giggled, pushing her hair aside. "My hood is gone."

Thade, was surprised. Downright awestricken, to be precise.

Seem's hair was long, going down to the small of her back It was a chestnut color, beginning with a lighted hue in the roots. He had always thought Seem was bald, judging by the way she looked with the hood on.

But now here she was; her hood gone and her hair out. In fact, aside from the paint on her face, she didn't even look like Seem at all, like she was an entirely different person.

Thade's little hypnotic trance was broken, when Seem staggered on wobbly legs. He grabbed her arm, led her into his home, and sat her down a sofa.

She bounced joyfully on the seat, her fingers running over the fur covering.

Thade walked to the door to lock it, when a voice reached his ears.

"I believe its considered blasphemy, to get a monk of the Golden Order inebriated in such a manner."

Thade answered the voice, without turning to it, knowing who it was.

"Shut up, Veger."

The Precursor Veger sat in his little birdcage in the corner of the room, looking at Thade with a snide smile on his furry lips. Kleiver not only put Thade in charge of the garage, but to watch over his 'sidekick', as he put it.

Thade never knew who Veger was at first, but he learned of Veger and what he had done, and his little 'gift'.

How was being a fuzzy little rat considered as a gift?

"And it's Seem, of all people." Veger continued, leaning forward in his cage, clicking his tongue as he did so. "That's not good. Shame, she seemed liked such a nice girl."

"I said 'shut up'." Thade said sternly.

Seem was looking around the house, to anything that caught her eyes, all the while singing silently to herself, "Thade's House, Thade's House, I'm in Thade's House."

"What do you plan to do with her now? Take advantage of her?" Veger asked.

"One more time, and I'm putting you in the closet." Thade warned. "I know I'm going to get Hell for this, I don't need you reminding me."

Veger's smile only grew. "I hear that the Golden Order has radical punishments for those who tamper with their brotherhood and their teachings. Getting their leader drunk, might be a death sentence."

Thade sighed, walking over to Veger and picked up his cage, opening the closet door and setting Veger inside. "Good night."

"See you, tomorrow." Veger said calmly, chuckling as Thade closed the door.

Veger acted very differently around certain people. He cowards around Kleiver (For good reasons), he's very silent around others, but strangely, he's talkative to Thade. Thade doesn't like it though, as Veger often times would say curt and malevolent things to him. Why? Who knows?

It was disturbing, really, how he would say things Thade was thinking in the back of his mind, like his conscious had manifested itself (In a small furry form).

Perhaps he was waiting for the day that Thade would finally snap, and do something stupid that would result in his release. He would never dare try such a feat with Kleiver, in fear that the man would do something else, like eat him.

Thade turned back to Seem, to see her lying down, breathing slowly.

"_Asleep. Good."_ Thade thought, slowly heading to his room.

A voice made him stop. It was soft, barely inaudible.

"Thade? Don't leave me." Seem said, lifting her head up. Thade turned to her, to say that he was just going into the next room, but saw something that made his heart sink, yet flutter at the same time (Curious feeling it was).

The light of the moons outside was flowing in through a window, traveling its way across the room and up the wall, stopping just a little above Seem's head. Her hair gave off a brilliant sheen in the light, as well as the small trickles of tears on her cheeks.

Why was she crying?

"What's wrong?" Thade asked, suddenly having that worried feeling again.

"Everyone is leaving me." She softly said, sitting up on the sofa. "They all left me alone."

Thade took a step towards Seem, just as she started to cry openly.

"The monks are all gone, Kleiver is away, Jak is gone, and Damas is dead. I have no one. There is no one else. They all left me, alone."

Thade sat down next to Seem, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her back, letting the girl cry it all out.

"I don't want it. I don't want to be alone, all by myself."

"But your not." Thade spoke up. Seem suddenly looked up at him, seeing a genuine smile on his face. "I'm here, aren't I? I may not be Damas, Kleiver, Jak, or any of the monks, but that doesn't mean we can't hang out, ya'know?"

Seem looked up into Thade's hazel eyes, her mind considering what had just been said. She then smiled that sincere smile Thade was hoping for. She suddenly embraced Thade in a hug, crying silently into his chest.

This was an entirely different change in pace. The girl, who was singing to herself not ten minutes ago, was now crying her eyes out. He knew very well what to do, having done this with Seeder when her father had died.

"Your not alone Seem, you just have to let people in, that's all." Thade rocked her back and forth, patting her on her back.

Her tears soon subsided, and she slowly backed away from Thade, rubbing her eyes. There was a rather large wet spot on Thade's shirt, but he ignored it.

"Feel better?" He asked.

Seem nodded slowly, twiddling her fingers. He stood up, causing the girl to look up at him sharply.

"Let me go get you a pillow and a blanket." He walked over to his closet and opened it up.

"Did I miss something?" Veger asked.

"Shut up." Said Thade.

He closed the door, and walked back to the sofa, dropping the pillow on one end.

"Lie down, rest a while." Thade lied Seem down, as she was very weary and somewhat limp. He threw the blanket over the girl, making sure it was nice and snug on her.

Seem gave Thade a silent thank you, shifting herself to get comfortable. He was about to head for his room, when that same voice stopped him.

"Don't leave me."

"I'm not." He said. He turned his path to an armchair close by, sitting down on it and looking to Seem. She gave him a smile, closing her eyes.

Thade sat there, for more then an hour or so, watching over the sleeping Seem, before he drifted asleep himself.

He had a dream that night, of the full moon above, a gentle wind blowing, and in his arms was this woman. He danced with her, along the rocky shore of the ocean, listening to the crashing waves. The dance was elegant, fluid motions, a dance that Thade never danced before.

The woman sang, hummed to herself a sonata of sorts, looking up to Thade with gleaming ruby eyes.

Before they kissed, before the climax of this stunning show, Thade awoke.

The morning after is a drunk's enemy, since Thade's head ached slightly. He looked over to Seem, seeing she was still a sleep. He stood up, going into the next room to get started on a little concoction.

It was a mixture taught to him by Seeder (The Father), that when consumed, it will take an hour or less to sober someone up. However, it had questionable results to certain people (Vomiting, stomach cramps, and rarely temporary paralysis).

He drank a little, shuddering at its taste. He stomach panged for a second, but it subsided. He sighed, leaning on a table, thinking.

Any moment now, Seem will wake up. Everyone would act differently when their drunk, Seem was actually a happy and bubbly one. Morning after, things are different. Lord only knows.

But, that was all just common thinking. What Thade was thinking about was much deeper, more important.

It was Seem's emotional moment.

It must be really hard, to be the leader of a clan of monks at such a young age. Thade was surprised to see Seem make it this far by herself.

It was understandable really, when the people you led and lived with through most of your life had decided to get up and leave you. Maybe that is why she was like that.

Around the other monks, she was Seem, their High-priestess. What was she now? Exposed, vulnerable, alone. Having lived with nothing but boys most of her life and never having a real mother figure to seek advice from (Let's face it, asking someone like Damas and Kleiver something only a woman could understand was a pretty dumb idea), she was finally feeling out in the open, no longer behind the faces and muscles of the others.

With no mother figure, and Damas no longer among the living; who was she to turn to?

Thade hope, nay, prayed, that Seem would actually talk to someone, even if it was him.

A groan from the next room caught Thade's attention. He didn't even have to look, he knew what it was.

"_She's awake. Now comes the interesting part._"

Thade grabbed the glass before him, taking it into the next room where a squinting Seem was slowly raising up from the couch, clenching her head in one hand, groaning as she did.

Thade kneeled down to her, as glassy ruby eyes look up at him.

"Drink this." Thade told her, handing her the glass.

Not even looking at what it was, Seem took a drink, suddenly gagging and coughing from the foul taste.

"Come on, drink more. You'll thank me in an hour." He said.

Seem, still gagging, reluctantly took another drink. She stared to cough more once she was done. Thade reached and grabbed a wooden pail, setting down close to Seem's head.

She leaned over, hoping nothing comes out. Thade rubbed the nape of Seem's neck soothingly.

Finishing the coughing fit, she looked up to Thade, images of last night flashing through her mind. Thade coxed her to lie back down, pulling the blanket over her.

"Rest a little longer. One you feel ready, I'll take you back to the temple." He told her.

Seem, shook her head. "There'll be no one there. I might as well stay here."

With that, Seem rolled over on her side, getting herself comfortable.

Thade only smiled, turning to the closet door to get the sleeping Ottsel out, all the while oblivious to the smile on Seem's face (Right before she started coughing again).

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Author's Note: Don't be afraid to review, I will love to hear from you guys (Flame or not).


	4. The Roar of the Twilight

Chapter Four: The Roar of the Twilight

"No more drinks" Was the first thing Seem said, walking into the kitchen thirty minutes or so later.

She was feeling better, after having a few bouts of coughing, and nearly threw up at one point. She had tucked her hair away in her hood before walking in, and was now starting to look like Seem again (Unlike the bubbly, long haired woman from last night).

Thade nodded to her, returning to the process of cooking some eggs. Seem was about to sit in a chair next to the table, when her eyes fell on something she failed to see the night before.

Veger sat silently in his cage, picking at his nail. He looked up, and smiled snidely to Seem. Seem looked back at him with a cold glare, her face once more a deadpan, emotionless look everyone was so use of seeing.

"Good morning, Seem. Enjoyed last night?" He asked.

Seem didn't answer at first, only stared him down before cursing to herself and sat in the chair. Veger only chuckled under his breath, returning to picking his nail.

Thade placed a plate of eggs before Seem, sitting down across from her with a plate of his own.

They both ate quietly, passing glances to one another every so often.

It was uncomfortable, this silence, for both of them.

After a few minutes of silence, Seem spoke up.

"Thade? What did you give me, earlier?" She asked.

Thade looked to her, his face a little flushed.

"It's this drink Seeder showed me. It's a mixture of a few plants he found in the desert. It didn't make a good drink, but it can sober anyone up in no time." He told her, adding, "I'm sorry for the bad taste. It isn't exactly the best thing in the world."

Seem nodded to him, taking a bite from her eggs.

Another silence, but it was soon broken.

"Seem," Thade started, getting the girl's attention. "I'm sorry, for last night."

Confused, Seem raised her eyebrows. Thade continued.

"I got you drunk for the first time, took you to my home, and let you sleep on my uncomfortable furniture. I feel bad, for allowing what I did, and I hope you're not angry at me."

Seem was silent, but flattered. She wasn't angry at Thade. In fact, she did enjoy last night, as Veger asked. Though, she didn't really care for this morning, but that was suspected (A small price to pay).

Seem shook her head, giving Thade a smile. "I'm not angry with you. I'm just glad my first time was with someone I could trust."

She smiled again, a genuine smile Thade was hoping to see from her last night. "But, I never thanked you, for catching me."

Thade smiled this time. "I just did what I had to do. It would have been bad if I didn't."

Seem nodded, and looked down to her plate, seeing her eggs all gone.

"I want to ask you something." Thade said. Seem looked back up. "If you don't want to return to the temple, then what would you do today?"

Seem considered this. True, she didn't wish to go back to the temple (No one is probably there), so what should she do? An idea had hit her. Thade had been kind to her, very kind. She did not wish to part from him so soon.

"Do, you have any plans, for today?" Seem asked slowly, unsure of how it sounded to Thade.

Thade only stared back at her, his eyebrow rising slowly. He then spoke. "I don't have anything officially planed, but then I was thinking about taking a drive through the desert."

"Could, I come with you?" Seem asked.

Thade smiled. "I would like that. It would be a new thing, rather then by myself."

Seem smiled as well.

Thade had cleaned the dishes, with some help from Seem. It was strange, but it was a good feeling, that Seem was now friendlier to Thade. He enjoyed it.

After a while, Thade disappeared into his room, returning dressed in his usual Wastelander garb.

It was a heavy leather tunic, draping down to the ground, cut up along the middle, acting like coat tails. It was bounded in the midsection by a large belt, a series of pouches tied to it. A second belt was tied of his chest, like a bandolier. He still wore the leather britches, but his regular boots was replaced with a heavier and bigger kind, going up over his calves and to his knees.

He had a piece of Metal Head armor on his left shoulder, tied securely to his bandolier. Another armor piece was tied to his right thigh. A pair of fingerless gloves was on his hands, and a dark green scarf was tied around his neck, so he could use it to cover his mouth when the winds got to fierce.

Seem couldn't help but muse; this was the other Thade, the Thade everyone knew.

"Ready to go?" Thade asked.

Seem nodded at first, but then shook her head. She was thinking again.

"May I use your lavatory, first?" She asked, a bit embarrassed to ask such a question.

Thade pointed to a door. Seem nodded to him, disappearing into the room, shutting the door behind her.

She looked at herself in the mirror, looking upon her alabaster skin and ruby eyes. She was thinking, about today. There is no one at the temple, the monks all gone. She contemplated on her hood and the orange and yellow paint on her face.

No one was there to say otherwise to her. This, in a strange sense, was a day off for her. A day off from the teachings of the Golden Order, a day off commanding monks, a day where she can be someone else, not the Seem everyone knew.

With that thought, Seem looked down at the basin, grabbing a nearby water kettle and pouring some in it.

She cupped her hands, brought the water up and looked at it.

No one was there to say otherwise.

Thade was wondering what Seem was doing, when he heard the silent splashing of water. After a few minutes, the door opened, but Seem didn't walk out.

It was a pale woman, with long chestnut hair. Her face was damp, shining in the light. Ruby eyes looked at him, gleaming.

Thade was taken aback. Seem had removed her paint!

"What?" Seem suddenly asked; looking at Thade's confused face.

Seem felt relived, to have removed the paint on her face. It was a change for her. No hood, no paint, no armor, nothing. She was someone else now, and it made her feel good.

No one was there, to tell her otherwise.

"I…I…You, look, nice." Thade stuttered out.

Smiling, Seem nodded to Thade.

"Shall we go?" She asked.

Thade nodded dumbly, opening the front door for Seem.

The glaring sun was not a welcoming sight, but with a few seconds to allow the eyes to adjust, it wasn't as bad.

The street was unusually empty this morning; a few people were walking about. The garage door opened as they draw near.

All the vehicles were still there, cars the Kleiver had either made or scrounged up in the desert. Seem had ridden in the car dubbed the 'Sand Shark', didn't really like all that much (And Kleiver, who was driving, was purposely jumping over dunes, despite Seem's shouts of fear).

Thade walked passed the cars, going to a large door at the far end. Seem knew this as Kleiver's workshop, where he made various weapons and such.

"I want to show you something." Thade told her. He pressed a series of buttons, and the door slowly opened. There was a large object in the center of the room, covered with a sheet. Thade gripped the sheet, and looked to Seem. "Allow me to introduce, 'Twilight'."

He pulled the sheet away, and instantly Seem gasped at the ebon metal.

The construction of the Twilight was pretty basic, much like the Tough Puppy or Sand Shark. The cab can seat two people, covered in a mesh canopy, disguised to look like foliage. The wheels where large, rubber points for grip on the sand, the back wheels raised up more then the front. Mounted in the front where two long barreled machine guns, a large drum of ammo connected on the sides.

The motor, which was in the back, was a large on, made for a vehicle more like the Slam Dozer or the Gila Stomper.

The metal, however, must be what gives it its name. The armor was a black color, twisted and bent to mimic the armor of a Metal Head. On the hood was this white burst, like a star.

Seem was awe struck by the vehicle's design. It was a work of art, to both mechanics and spectators. A vehicle such as this, with its motor, armor and guns, must be made for power rather then speed.

"I have been working on this baby for years, with the help of Kleiver. I just got the motor running a few months ago. The firing mechanism for the guns is off, but I'm not really focused on that." Thade looked to Seem, his hand brushing over the ebony steel, obviously proud of his work. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." Seem breathed. She stepped forward, her delicate fingers tracing over the star burst design. She was not really into anything machine, such as cars, but it was its black steel and the pure power it displayed that won her over. Beautiful, but deadly.

"Thank you. I originally planed it to be orange, and call it the Precursor Runner, but since the whole Ottsels being our gods' thing; I kind of changed that thought. I keep thinking something's missing, but I dunno what." Thade glanced at his work thoughtfully.

Seem said aloud what he was thinking. "I'm glad you changed it. It's much more better as Twilight."

Thade smiled to her, walking on the other side and opened the canopy, stepping aside to allow Seem to enter. Seem hesitated. Should she really get into this vehicle? This large gleaming mass of power? She could trust Thade.

She climbed into the vehicle, and sank into the leather seat. Beautiful, deadly, and comfortable. A good, if not strange, combination. Thade closed the canopy, walking over to the other side and climbed in. He suddenly reached into the back, grabbing something and bringing it up front.

He had this large object in his hands, wrapped securely in a cloth. He began to unwrapping, and soon he brought out a helmet.

I shone with a polished sheen, radiating a bright orange in the light. It had a common dome shape to it, but it had ancient Precursor writing etched all over the front. The back had fin like ridges, pointing down like a saw blade.

Seem was once more awe struck, and looked to Thade.

"This is…"

"A Precursor helmet. Yeah. You need it." Thade handed the helmet to Seem, who placed it on her head. A chin strap (Which looked to be have recently added to it, rather then it being part of the original design) snap securely on her, keeping the artifact in place.

A pull of a lever and a turn of a knob, the Twilight roared to life. Thade pressed down on the gas pedal, causing the engine to rev loudly.

"Hold on!" Thade shouted over the engine. "This baby looks big, but she can really move!"

With those words, the Twilight shot forward, and turned sharply towards the front gate. Seem quickly buckled herself in (She was thankful to Thade for putting one in, since Kleiver never did with the others he made), adjusted herself in her seat, and grabbed a safety bar close by, preparing herself for what is to come.

She looked over to Thade, to see a great grin on his face, as his fingers gripped the wheel. He reached behind his head, and brought another helmet on his head, this one designed and painted to mimic the Twilight.

"You ready?!" He shouted to Seem.

Seem, slowly nodded her head (Seeing that there was no way back now) and gripped the safety bar. The front gate slowly opened, and the desert sun blazed into the garage. The vast wasteland stood before them.

Thade then suddenly floored it, the beast of a vehicle accelerating so much that it caused Seem to sink into the seat more. True to what Thade had said; even with the Twilight's large size, it can accelerate to a speed of 85 MPS (Meters per second), 5 meters slower then the devastating Desert Screamer, thanks to its powerful engine that was made to power more heavier vehicles.

Thade was being courteous to his passenger, driving around dunes rather then jumping them, and keeping a steady pace (Seem figured they where moving about 30-45 MPS).

Thade glanced to Seem every so often, to see if she was ok with the ride. She seemed more relaxed now, not gripping the safety bar so much.

"You having fun?!" He shouted.

Seem nodded, a smile on her face. But the smile disappeared when Thade sped up. Seem looked, and saw that they where heading for the river, aiming for a ramp. She braced herself, returning to her death grip on the safety bar.

The jump was rather large, sending the vehicle and its passengers high into the air over the river. The airtime was about four seconds, but it felt like a minute to Seem. But when they landed, her blood was pumping, her heart beating hard.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and a smile spread on her face. She was laughing. Laughing! She was enjoying this! Seem eyed another ramp coming up, and saw Thade aim for it.

She waited, lessened her grip on the safety bar, and they where launched into the air. This one wasn't as big as the first one, but it was exhilarating just the same. The land was softer though.

The Twilight picked up speed, traveling at its fullest. Jump after jump followed, each one more exciting then the other.

Seem, who had finally let go of the bar, was laughing at the bumps and movement of the car. She saw Thade forced his foot down on a pedal, but it wasn't the gas, or the brake. A grin was his face, his eye narrowing in a malevolent way.

What he was looking at was this large dune, gripping the wheel so tight that his knuckles where white.

When there where at the very peak of the dune, Thade released the pedal he pushed down. The vehicle's hydraulics recoiled, launching them high into the air. VERY high. The airtime was a total of five second, all the while Seem shouting. But it wasn't shouts of fear, but cheering. Seem, was hooting!

The landing was rough though, but that airless moment was all worth it. Thade started to slow down, returning to a steady pace before stopping altogether, shutting the engine off.

Before them sat the vast ocean, the only sounds where the crashing waves and Seem's heavy breathing. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to clam her throbbing heart.

"Wow." She breathed out.

"Yup, this things a beast. Surprised you with the Co2 hydraulics, didn't I? Same thing Kleiver used on the Dune Hopper, but Twilight is too heavy, so it can't go as high." Thade thoughtfully caressed the wheel of the car. "Still gets some good distance though."

Thade opened his canopy, climbed out of the car, walked on the other side, and opened Seem's side. Seem climbed out, but stood on wobbly legs. Thade was right next to her, making sure she didn't fall.

"Got excited I see. You never ridden in a car before, haven't you?" Thade asked.

"I rode with Kleiver once, but that was enough for me. At least, you built up to the jump and all, rather then go straight to it like Kleiver did." Said Seem.

"Well, I saw you where kind of scared at first, so I decided to take it easy. It was when I saw you relaxed more when I then did the first jump." Thade then laughed. "With all that hooting and hollering you did, you sure did enjoy."

Seem nodded, looking back out into the ocean. "Why did we stop here?"

"Just to rest a bit. That and I need to see if that last jump damaged…" Thade then grew quiet, turning sharply to look behind him. His ears where perked high, listening for something. Seem couldn't hear anything though.

"What is it?" Seem asked.

"Get in the car."

"What?"

"Get in the car!"

Author's notes: It took me a while to figure out the best description for Thade's clothes and the Twilight. I hope I did it well. Don't forget to review!


	5. A Battle, a Temple and a Promise

Chapter Five: A Battle, a Temple and a Promise

The sudden change in Thade's tone was enough to convince Seem something was wrong, and she rushed to the Twilight. She had jumped in, when she heard it.

It was a frightening sound, one she heard on many occasions but still made her jump. A gunshot. A flash of red and orange whizzed nearby, followed by more flashes and gunshots.

She was suddenly worried; where was Thade? He suddenly appeared, jumping into the driver side and starting the engine.

"What's happening!?" Seem shouted.

"Marauder attack!" Thade shouted back, slamming down on the gas. The Twilight shot forward, but then stopped, the engine slowing down. "No! Not now!"

Thade kept pressing the gas, trying to restart the car. It stuttered, started, but then stopped. Thade tried again and again, the Twilight never budged.

"No! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!" Thade started slamming down on the wheel, throwing his head back and forth in anger. The roar of another engine caught their attention, as a Marauder drove by, skidding in the sand until it sat before them.

The doors open, and out climbed the monstrous man, gripping an axe in one hand. Another Marauder drove next to the Twilight, climbing out.

Seem started to hyperventilate, looking around frantically. Thade was breathing hard, his eyes narrowing at the Marauder in front of him. He gripped the wheel, contemplating on what to do.

"Get out!" The Marauder commanded, rising his axe in a threatening way.

"One moment!" Thade called back, reached behind him.

Seem looked at him, harshly whispering, "What are you doing?"

Thade's arm remained behind him, as he kept his eyes on the Marauder. A creaking sound caught Seem's attention, and she noticed the car was slowly lowering down to the ground. Seem looked down and saw that Thade's foot was pressing down on the hydraulic pedal.

"Get out now!" The Marauder shouted, advancing towards the car.

Thade turned to Seem, his eyes stern and focused. "Hold on, and cover your ears."

Seem did as she was told, leaning forward to duck her head. Thade pulled out a round object, flicking a pin off of it and tossing it to the Marauder. It hit him on the head, slightly dazed, and looked down to what was thrown at him.

He let out a yell, when he looked upon the grenade. Seconds before the grenade's detonation, Thade released the hydraulic pedal, launching the Twilight in to the air. The explosion's concussion was enough to force the Twilight back a few feet.

When the Twilight landed, the engine roared to life.

"YES! HA!" Thade yelled out joyously, slamming down on the gas and shoot forward, running over the charred remains of the Marauder.

Seem had looked up when the engine had started, seeing that they where now moving. She felt relived, but it was short lived as a gunshot rang out. Thade peered out of the side.

"Their following!" He called out. "But the Twilight is too fast for them!"

Seem looked around at the surroundings. "We're closer to the temple then Spargus! We should go there!"

"Right! Hold on!" Thade made a turn, and made his was down the shore of the ocean.

When they where passed the ruined village, something caught Thade's attention. He saw something in the sky, and it was getting bigger. He then got a good look at it.

"Oh you got to be kidding me!"

"What?" Asked Seem, and then looked up. It was one of those flying Metal Heads, and it was swooping down to the Twilight. "It must think we're one of them!"

"Marauders, Metal Heads, all we missing now it a damn storm!" Thade cried out in frustration.

"Don't jinx us!" Shouted Seem.

The Metal Head swooped down, following the Twilight on one side. When it got close enough to the Twilight, it let out a cry of anger, hoping it had found a missing comrade. It used one of its wings to slap at the Twilight, bringing it down on top of the car.

"Go away! I got nothing of value!" Thade shouted to the Metal Head, swiping at it with his hand. He then reached behind him once more, and brought out a small pistol. He let out one shot, catching the Metal Head on its back. That only made it angrier, as it flew above the Twilight and started to peck at it.

Seem was shouting all the while, covering her head from the creature's sharp beak. The helmet was very helpful. Thade let out shot after shot at the beast, getting it in its shoulder, chest and skimmed its neck.

It kept its relentless attack, until Thade finally got fed up, reaching behind his and grabbing another pistol.

"Take the wheel!" Thade shouted to Seem, and let go. He stood up on the seat, knocking the Metal Head in the head with one pistol, causing the creature to back up.

Seem quickly grabbed the wheel, trying to keep it stead. When she noticed the Twilight was slowing down, she quickly stomped on the gas, but missed and hit the break. Thade was nearly thrown out of the car, and the Metal Head swooped by, pecking at his head. Thankfully, he had the helmet still on.

"Drive, drive, drive!" Thade yelled out, and Seem hopped into the driver seat, finally stepping on the right pedal.

Everything seemed like a blur to her, her heart and mind racing uncontrollably. Thade turned to the flying Metal Head, unleashing a fury of bullets. The creature let out a pained roar as it was plugged with bullets, crashing into a passing rocky mountain side with a sickening crunch.

Thade let out a triumphant shout, raising his arms into the air with a thrust.

He ducked back into the Twilight, sitting in the passenger side. He looked to Seem, to see a very expressive look on her face. Her hand's where red from gripping the wheel so tight, sweat trickling down her face, her eyes distant.

Thade placed a gentle hand on hers, causing her to let out a gasp and throwing her out of her panic induced trance.

"Slow her down a bit. We're safe now." He told her.

Seem nodded briskly, easing off the gas pedal.

They remained silent for a time, till they came to the series of small islands that lead to the monk temple. Thade told Seem to stop, and they switched places. Thade back the Twilight up, readying for the jump. He pressed down the hydraulics, and sped up, jumping over to the other island.

When they landed, he slowed the car down, carefully driving to the edge, backing up, and jumped it. He did this for a while, aiming for each island and keeping a decent slow speed. Once they came to the sixth island, Thade perked his ears up.

"Wind's picking up." He said thoughtfully. The sand was kicking up from the increased wind speed, creating small twisters. "Damn, storms coming."

He then turned to Seem, laughing nervously. "I guess I jinxed us."

Seem didn't reply, wiping the sweat of her brow, and adjusting herself in the seat.

When they came to the final island, the wind reached close to storm winds. Thade didn't bother cover his mouth, but he did squint to keep the sand from his eyes. They had final jumped the ravine, and stopped at the pillars of the temple.

They jumped out of the Twilight and rushed to the front gate. They dusted the sand off of them once they where inside, Thade looking around at the stone walls and statues.

He had never been in the temple before, only up to the gates a few times. But now he was standing in the very monolith itself, and he marveled at the construction. But, though he was amazed at the temple, he was more worried about Seem.

She removed the helmet, setting it down on a nearby pedestal. She was still breathing hard, but she seemed fine. Thade followed what she did, removing his helmet and sitting in next to hers.

She turned to look around, walking as she did.

"No one's here." She said softly.

"How can you tell?" Thade asked.

"Everything is as it is when I left." She pointed to this strange stone, carved to look like a blank face. "This stone is to show us if anyone has left or entered."

She pushed to stone around; turning it till it was a painted face. "This means someone is here. And since we're here, it shall stay like this."

"Is this a rule with the monks? Like you're supposed to turn it when you leave?" Thade asked.

"If someone else is here when they leave, it remains as it is. When no one is here at all, then it is turned." Said Seem. She walked passed the stone face, entering a door.

Thade followed, walking down a hall of stairs.

"This place is big." Thade said thoughtfully. "You can get lost here easily."

"Not entirely. There are a number of rooms, but only one section is the sleeping quarters." Said Seem.

Thade looked around at the walls and such, absorbing all the artwork.

"It is quiet here." Thade said aloud, passing a lit brazier.

Seem sighed. "Yes, it is."

The came to another room. It was circular, surrounded by a series of doors.

"I had heard that this place was attacked." Thade said. He never really saw anything damaged other then things that had been damaged naturally.

"The damage was minimal, and it was easy to fix." Said Seem. She came to a blank wall, hitting a hidden switch and revealed a door. Inside was a hall of doors, ending with a great circular door.

"A hidden passage, cool." Thade looked around, looking into a nearby room. It had a bed and some knickknack here and there. "This must be the sleeping quarters."

"It is." Said Seem, walking down the hall. They came to the circular door, and seem opened it.

Inside was this large bed, covered with various skins of animals. There where bookcases riddled with Precursor objects and some plants. The walls where etched with pictures of Mar and old heroes, such as Damas.

"Wow. Nice digs. Whose room is this?" Thade marveled at the room posh look and elegance.

"It's, mine." Seem said slowly, walking forward and sitting down on the end of the bed. "It belonged to the High Priest, before he left."

"Died?" Thade asked.

Seem shook her head, sand flying around. "No, he went traveling. I don't know where he is now, or if he's even alive."

She started to comb her finger through her hair, getting rid of the sand. She looked to Thade, who looked nervous.

"Is something wrong?" Seem asked.

Thade seemed to flush, his face turning grim.

"I'm sorry," He started, his voice shaking. "I had put you in grave danger. You could have died out there, and it would be all my fault. I should have never brought out there, I should have never got you into that damn car. Damas, would be disappointed of me."

"Thade," Seem said to him silently, not knowing what to say.

"I have something to tell you, something I should have said last night." Thade looked to Seem, his eye holding back tears, fraught with sorrow. "Damas made me promise, right before he rushed to Haven to Jak's aid, that I was to watch over you."

Seem's eyes grew wide to this news.

"I told him that you can take care of yourself easily, but he still made me promise. He made me promise on my honor, that nothing bad would happen to you! I got you drunk! I nearly got you killed!" Thade slumped to one knee, holding his head in anguish. "I had failed Damas!"

Seem was shocked beyond words. Damas, made Thade promise, to watch over her? Why? For what purpose? Damas was wise, surely he had a reason. But why Thade? Why not Kleiver?

Looking at it now, Kleiver thinks more of himself then others. Whereas Thade, thought about others more then himself. He was unselfish, caring, kind, willing to help.

If Damas could pick anyone in all of Spargus to protect her, he sure did pick the right guy. But now that man was kneeling before her, close to tears, practically begging for forgiveness.

I made her worried, very worried. It was like a servant kneeling before a queen, after breaking a valuable item.

Seem stood, only to kneel next to the tormented man, brushing her fingers along his jaw to make him look at her. Her did, his eyes shinning with held back tears, an apologetic look on his face.

"Thade," Her voice was soft, soothing, reassuring, and she looked deeply into those hazel eyes of his. She suddenly embraced the man in her arms, holding him tight. "Please, don't do this to yourself. I'm not angry at you, and surly Damas wouldn't be either."

It was a cruel irony, really. It was just last night that Thade held her like this when she had that emotion breakdown. Now it was her holding him, as he was dangerously close to having a breakdown himself.

He returned the embrace, his breathing shallow. No tears fell; he was strong enough to hold them back. He was a warrior in spirit and a great thinker, but a child at heart. Too kind a person to let anyone get hurt, but too much a warrior to show weakness.

It was a respectful trait.

They sat there on the stone ground, for so long, before Thade finally was breathing fine, drawing away from Seem.

He looked to her, gazing into her ruby eyes. "I never knew why Damas told me to protect you, but I think I'm starting to."

Seem's ears perked slightly. "Why?"

"I guess, he realized you need someone there, when no one else was." Thade told her.

"Why would he think that?" Seem asked, more to herself then to Thade.

"Maybe, he foresaw this." Thade said thoughtfully.

"His death? The monk's leaving?" Seem asked, not knowing the proper question to the answer.

"Me running into you." Thade answered.

Seem grew silent, and a deep realization struck her. She remembered Damas once saying to her that she will always have someone there to help her in her life. That her grandfather was there to help her when she was a child, that he was there to teach her the dangers of the desert and survival when she was older and Tanis (The High priest of the Precursor Temple) was there to tutor her in his teachings and leadership when she was entering adolescence.

Now, after being the leader of the Golden Order and High Priestess of the Precursor Temple for three years, and she was entering adulthood, who was there?

Was Thade to be the next? And if so, what will he teach her?

Seem looked to Thade, with a look of confusion on his face that mirrored hers. He eyes suddenly fell on blackened tear on Thade's arm, covering the surrounding cloth in red. Blood.

"Thade! You're hurt!" She exclaimed, reaching over and gingerly grasping Thade's arm to get a look at the wound. It wasn't from the Metal Head; it was a gunshot, probably a stray bullet from the Marauders.

Thade looked down, wincing in pain. "I was going to take care of it later."

He said that so nonchalantly, that it caused Seem to look at him, her face flushing in anger. "And risk getting an infection? You idiot! Sit here; let me get a first aid kit."

Seem stood up hurryingly, rushing to a nearby chest, opening it.

Thade looked up to the ceiling, staring at the many pictures carved in the stone. And by judging the fierce winds outside, he was going to be stuck there for a while.

"_Oh well._" He thought. "_It's not like I had anything better to do._"

Seem returned with a med kit, and started right away on cleaning and dressing Thade's wound, all the while a smile on the man's face.

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Authors Notes: It sounds to me that Thade and Seem are starting to like each other more, and not just as friends. And Damas making Thade keep a promise? Precursors only know what was going through the old king's mind at the time. Don't forget to review!


	6. What Is This?

Chapter Six: What is this?

Built during the time of Mar, the Precursor Temple was one of many of Mar's great achievements. Craved out of the very mountain itself, it was a masterpiece of architecture. For centuries, many would make a pilgrimage to this great temple, seeking guidance from the Precursors and knowledge from the monks who took residence it its halls.

But as the years went by, less and less visited the temple, until the very structure was left to crumble in the desert. Constant storms had destroyed the bridges that connected the islands up to the great mountain, alone with the many villages and roads in the desert.

It was destined to fade away.

But many years later, an old traveling sage had found the temple, wondering if the legend of this holy place was true. He had found it, alone with the secrets it held.

And such, the old sage had created a guild of monks, whose life work would be to study the Precursors, their technology, and even the great Mar himself.

The guild was known as 'The Golden Order'.

Centuries passed, and the Golden Order's search for the Precursors seemed fruitless. Time passed, many had been banished to this 'wasteland' and soon the construction of Spargus was made, known as the 'Scraped Village' to the monks, for it was made from scavenged metal from the desert.

Many monk leaders, known as the 'High Priests', led the monks on many travels, in hope to find loss artifacts in the desert that might connect to the Precursors 'destruction' or to Mar.

One High Priest even led a crusade against Spargus, with the knowledge that the Wastelanders had found many artifacts, but claimed it as their own.

When the current king of Spargus had refused, saying that it was 'Wastelander rights' it only fueled that fire of war.

But before the first battle even began, the High Priest had suffered an illness, who his apprentice had claimed it an act of the Precursors for his arrogance. The High Priest had died, and his apprentice, a kind hearted man named Tanis, became the next High Priest.

He had made a peaceful negotiation with the king of Spargus, resulting with the High Priest becoming the king's great friend. They had agreed that as long as there was no war, the monks could examine any artifact the Wastelanders find, and if it was to be of use to the monks, they would have to settle a trade.

No problems had occurred, until the death of the Spargus king, and the reign of a man named Damas. Damas had insisted that the 'Wastelander's rights' was to be reestablish. Tanis thought long and hard on it, and he had agreed on a strange whim. But on one condition; If Damas had found someone worthy to be Tanis' apprentice, the 'Rights' would be there forever.

Years passed, and Damas was unable to find a worthy apprentice for Tanis, and the old Priest was growing restless. It was the death of a dear friend of Damas, that he had found someone, who might be worthy.

At first glance of the little girl named Seem, Tanis knew Damas made the right choice. There was a great aura of light to the small child, and so Tanis accepted. He began to teach the girl all he knew.

This Seem was such a fast learner, that at the age of fourteen, she was worthy for the rank of 'High Priest'. First girl to ever be accepted into the Golden Order, and first 'High Priestess' of the monk temple. Tanis could see such promise in this child.

A vision had occurred to Tanis late one night, and he had set off on a journey, leaving Seem as the new leader of the Golden Order.

Three years had passed.

Three years. Had it been that long already? It seemed just yesterday that she was standing at the front gates of the temple, saying farewell to her tutor.

Two hours had passed, and the winds had died down. During that time, the High Priestess Seem was giving a small tour to a guest, a Wastelander by the name of Thade.

The two were feeling better now, the Marauder attack and the Metal Head seeming like a distant memory. When the storm had settled, early evening, Thade thought it was best to leave for Spargus. But not before checking any damages to his vehicle.

"Looks like I'm staying here for a little while."

Thade's voice knocked Seem from her small trance. She looked to Thade, who was under his car, the 'Twilight'. She couldn't see what was happening under there from where she sat, but judging the tone in Thade's voice, whatever he discovered wasn't good.

A bright orange tank rolled out from under the Twilight, followed by a grumbling Thade.

"Everything is working just fine," He started, picking up the orange tank. "But I'm low on Co2. I need to contact Sig or someone so they can send me another tank. I can't jump the islands without it."

He reached to his belt, feeling around. His face then grew grim, dropping the tank and searching himself in a strange manic manner.

"Arg! I lost my communicator!" He groaned in frustration. "Do you have one?"

Seem, unfortunately shook her head. She had lost hers during the Dark Maker raid on the temple, and she has not yet replaced it.

"How do you monks get to Spargus anyway? You don't have cars." Thade said.

"We ride Leapers. They can jump great distances when at their top speed." Seem told him.

"You think I might borrow one?" Thade asked.

Seem turned to the setting sun. "It is too dark. The Leapers see better during the day then the night."

Thade groaned, sitting down in the sand, leaning his head back on the Twilight. "I'm stuck here till morning then. You don't mind me staying here?"

Seem chuckled slightly. "You let me stay the night at your home. I say were even."

"I guess so." Thade closed his eyes, thinking. "But what is there to do here?"

"Nothing, unfortunately." Seem said sadly, standing, walking over to Thade, and sitting down next to him. "Not one, single, darn thing."

Thade looked to Seem, raising an eyebrow. "'Darn'? You know how long it has been since I last heard someone say that?"

"Years, probably. I was taught to never curse." Said Seem.

"Really? Why? Was it, like, disrespect to the Precursors?" Thade asked.

"No. More like disrespect to your elders." Said Seem.

Thade's eyebrows raised more. "So you never said 'Damn'?"

"Nope." Seem stated.

"You never said 'Ass'?" Asked Thade.

Seem shock her head.

"You never said 'Fu-'" Thade's words where cut short, when Seem covered his mouth.

"No, I never said _that_ word either." Seem said to him, a smile on her face. "I had never said a curse word in my whole life."

Thade muffled something, though Seem couldn't hear him (Mainly because she never removed her hand).

Seem released her hand, and Thade repeated what he said.

"I thought I heard you let out 'Shit' when we where being attacked by that Metal Head."

Did she? She probably did. Who knows what she was yelling about, she was too scared to even care.

"Well, then, I guess I had said a curse word. But only once." Seem laughed a little.

"Like I'm going to tell anyone." Thade said. "Who is there to tell?"

Seem only laughed a little more, leaning back on the Twilight.

They remained quiet, looking up to the orange sky as the sun reached twilight (The time, not the car).

"Well, I can entertain you till tomorrow then." Thade said aloud after a period of time.

Seem looked to him. "Entertain me? How?"

Thade stood up, looking down to Seem, a smile on his face. "Why my dear lady, I am a 'Jack of all Trades'."

He walked over to a pile of rocks, picking up three small ones. He turned back to Seem, and started to juggle the rocks.

"Welcome to the Greatest Show around! Coming to you live at scenic Precursor Temple!" Thade announced in a ringmaster like voice. "Today we have the magnificent Thade Rainer! Master of…"

Thade grew silent, but didn't stop juggling the rocks. His face was confused, thinking.

"Hey Seem. What am I Master of?" He then asked.

Seem thought for a second. "Well, showing off right now."

"No good. Give me something, epic. Something daring." Thade lifted his leg, and starting to juggle the rocks from under it. He then stopped, turned, and bended backwards, flipping the rocks over him while looking at Seem.

"How about, 'Thade Rainer, Master of Juggling'?" Seem suggested.

"Maybe, but I can do other things as well. That's why I'm magnificent." Thade stated.

"Then what else can you do?" Asked Seem.

Thade stood up, tossing all three rocks into the air. When the first one was falling, nearing the ground, Thade kicked it up again, following the second and third. Thade began kicking and kicking, juggling with his feet.

Seem's eyes grew in amazement. "Wow. That's impressive."

Thade smiled brightly at Seem's complement, but wasn't watching what he was doing, and missed on of the rocks, landing squarely on his head. Thade let out a pained yelp, but it didn't help that it broke his concentration; the other two rocks hit him on his shoulder and close to his ear.

Thade rubbed the pain from his head, listening to the laughter of Seem.

She shouldn't be laughing, but it was the face Thade made when the first rock hit him. She should be worried for him, but the pained expression was too much.

"You should stick with just juggling with your hands." Seem told Thade.

"Ok, so I got a little carried away. But juggling isn't the only thing I can do!" Thade kicked the rocks away from him, picking one up and held it in the palm of his hand. "Behold! This rock will disappear!"

Seem watched closely; eager to see what will happen. Thade closed his hand around the rock, twisting so the top of his hand was upward, and made a slight flourish with his other hand, hovering it over the one holding the rock.

"Ta-da!" Thade let out, opening his closed hand, showing the rock was no longer there. Gone.

Seem let out a gasp in wonderment; that was until Thade did a bow, and the rock fell out of his sleeve.

Seem laughed again.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Thade said, kicking the rock away from him.

He groaned, picking up another rock. "Ok. Seeder showed me these little tricks when I was younger. But now I'm going to show you something I taught myself."

With that, Thade tossed the rock high into the air. Seem followed it with her eyes, but quick shot to Thade when he drew his pistol, aiming at the rock. He waited, waited, waited, and then fired. The bullet flew and stricken the rock, shattering it into pieces. Thade surprised Seem when he started to shot at the pieces, turning them into dust.

Thade looked to Seem, a grin on his face. "And that is why I'm known as Thade the Magni-." Thade's words where cut short, as a piece of rock he missed bumped onto his head. He yelled out, ducking and rubbing his head fiercely. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow."

This time, Seem didn't laugh, only stood up quickly to check on Thade. There wasn't any blood, but it left a nasty bump.

"Yesh. That looked like it hurt." Seem said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Said Thade.

The two sat down on the sand, looking up into the sky. It was now a purple shade, indicating the coming night.

"We should get inside." Seem then said. She turned to Thade, to see him brush some dirt off his chin. He was starting to look like the regular old Thade, but still lacking the beard and wild hair. He did have some stubble.

"Where can I rest my head?" He then asked, turning to her.

"You can sleep in one of the other monk's rooms. They won't be here anyway." Seem told him.

"I can use a water basin to wash up. I don't want to climb into a bed and leave a layer of dirt." Thade said with a smile.

"All the rooms have their own water basin. But we do have a washroom you can use. Makes it easier for you." Said Seem.

"Washroom eh? That'll work."

Seem lead Thade to a hidden room in the temple, one that was located near the sleeping quarters. Thade was expecting a washroom, what he got an indoor swimming pool.

The entire room was about the same size of Seem's room, which was about 25 feet long ways and wide ways. The walls looked to be made of marble, the floors covered with orange tile. Hanging from the ceiling was a large chandelier, with all the candles lit. The washing tub was more like a small pool. It was about 10 feet around, and looked to be two feet deep.

Seem walked to the tub, leaving Thade to look at room in amazement. She dragged her fingers over the water of the pool, feeling its temperature. It was nice and cool.

"I'll leave you to get washed up. Don't stay in too long." Seem told Thade, walking out of the room.

"Big tub." Thade said silently. He then turned to Seem. "You guys don't take baths together, do you?"

Seem blushed a little, shaking her head. "The others do, but they let me have my privacy."

Thade looked back to the tub, then back to Seem. "Alright then. I'll just get myself cleaned, and we can, I dunno, entertain each other more."

Seem gave a slight bow, then walked off.

Thade stood there for a few seconds, looking at the large tub. "Damn. That thing is big."

Seem walked back to her, room, sitting down on her bed. She glanced down to her armor, still sitting nearby. It looked somewhat similar to the helmet Thade had, probably was. She brushed her fingers over cool steel, feeling the gritty texture of dirt on the armor. Her mind made a trail of thoughts, starting from her armor, to thoughts of the helmet and how it looked so similar to her armor, leading to the car and the attack, and stopping to, finally coming to the end of this train of thought, to Thade.

What is it about that man that made her feel safe? Why does she feel so at peace when she hears him laugh, or see him smile? Why did she feel so, _different_, when he held her? Was it because he has been the only person in the passed three years that she really connected with? She never really talked to the other monks much.

She let out a sigh, not seeing any answer for her questions in sight. When she glanced up and looked back down at her armor, a thought passed her mind. It was more of a courteous thought, but she realized that Thade won't have anything to wear once he was done with the wash room, lest he puts his old clothes back on, but they must be just as dirty.

Standing and walking out of her room and into another, Seem opened a armoire and brought out a simple robe, a loose shirt, a pair of britches and a pair of straw sandals. With said objects in hand, Seem walked down the hall and towards the wash room.

When she was there, she gave the door a swift rap. "Thade? I brought you some extra clothes you can change into."

Strangely, there was no answer. In fact, upon placing her ear gently on the door, there were no sounds at all. "Thade? Are you ok?"

She slowly opened the door, and peeped inside. He wasn't there. His clothes were near the pool, but Thade wasn't. She stepped in, looking around, gripping the extra clothing close to her chest. She saw something, in the water. It was a shapeless mass of tan color. Was it Thade? He probably ducked into the water to get dirt out of his hair, and he couldn't hear her. But the mass was motionless, and there where no bubbles rising to the surface.

A terrifying image of Thade's lifeless body in the water flashed in her mind, and she slowly walked towards the pool, her heart beating rapidly in fear.

Suddenly, the mass moved, rising out of the water quickly, splashing the water. It raised so suddenly that Seem (Locked in her state of fear) let out a yelp and fell back. Thade growled, spun around to face his attacker, his eyes flashing fiercely. But when he saw Seem instead of a fiend, his growling sneer soften, his eyes becoming innocent.

"Seem? Oh. You gave me a scare there. I thought you were a Marauder." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

Seem didn't answer. Instead, her eyes where wide, her mouth agape, and a blush in her face so bright that is stood out clearly against her alabaster skin. Thade, confused of Seem's expression, only rubbed his head once more. But then it dawned on him. He stood to five feet and seven inches tall in height, and he was standing in a two foot pool of water, unclothed.

His face flushing brightly in embarrassment, Thade ducked back into the water, sitting down on the bottom and turned his back to the still blushing Seem. Seem then realized her situation, and she spun where she sat, looking away, her heart beating so very heard that it was a wonder she didn't faint.

The two remained quiet for a while, not knowing what to do or say.

After a while of silence, Seem spoke up. "I…I-I-I brought you a change of clothes."

Though Seem could not see it, Thade made a slight flinch at her voice. "T-thanks."

Thade heard the sound of Seem standing up and walking quickly out of the room, shutting the door behind her. He looked over his shoulder, and looked at the clothes on the floor, scattered from when she threw them out of her arms in surprise. He was calmed now, but there was a nagging since in the back of his head.

The way Seem reacted, her blank wide eyes and such, looked as if she had never seen anyone in the nude before. Truthfully, it didn't surprise him. Seem was most likely raised not to wonder or even dwell on such matters. He had heard that the monks, either from the Golden Order or just religious followers in general, took a vow of celibacy.

He then let out a groan; he could have handled the situation better. It was because of the feeling of nice cool water soothing away his thoughts and troubles, and that he was so relaxed that he just sank (Literally) into the water. Holding his breath, gazing through the water and looking at the candlelight while it made flashes and glitters on the liquids surface, he had almost forgotten to breath. So he sat up, and heard a noise. His mind shooting back to normal, he thought there was someone in the washroom with him. But, unfortunately, he thought it was someone who was meaning to do harm to him.

Poor Seem, he must have given her a heart attack, and him being nude didn't help at all. He let out a sigh, sinking into the water again.

Great, now he has something else to feel bad about.

The moment she closed the door, Seem leaned her back against it, trying to slow her pounding heart.

Nothing, not one single thing in all of her studies or what Tanis, Damas or her grandfather ever taught her, ever told her of _THIS_! Her face was burning with blush, her eyes where wide and unblinking, her breathing heavy.

But, putting aside what she saw, she starting thinking on how she reacted.

Damn! She must have looked like an idiot!

She tried to calm herself. Ok, so she never seen a boy unclothed before. But she could have handled it better. She couldn't place this feeling. It was defiantly embarrassment of seeing another person in such a state. But what else was it. It was strange, a burning kind of sense. But it wasn't painful burning, it was, different.

What is it? She tried to think of something that would be best to describe it, but her mind kept drifting to images of…Him.

He wasn't too thin, or too scrawny. He had some shape to him; 'feed' was the best word. He reminded her of Jak. He was not at all undernourished, and had a nice built to him. But, unlike Jak, Thade was less defined in muscle, and wasn't as tall. And Jak had strong facial features; Stern, collective, determined, focused. But, for that second when Thade turned to her in surprise, his face too bore the strong look.

But it was melted away, leaving a face that was calm, innocent, free spirited.

What is it? What was it about Thade that made her feel like this?

Wait…Is it, desire? No! It can't be! How could she even think of these things? It's lewd, despicable, inconceivable, intolerable and immoral!

Could it be…Nah, it couldn't.

Before she could even think of it anymore, she heard a sound coming from the room behind her. It sounds like Thade climbed out of the pool, and was now picking up the clothes scattered on the floor.

Seem backed away from the door, and started thinking again. This time, it was on what she was going to say.

She was going to apologize, of course. But how? 'Sorry I saw you in the nude?' She kept thinking on what to say and without sound so stupid. But then the door opened, and almost instantly Seem's mind went blank. Thade looked at her, his eyes wide with questioning and a slight flush in his cheeks, dressed in the clothing Seem gave him.

"I'm sorry."

Funny thing was, they both said it at the exact same moment. Seem could only grow quiet, while Thade chuckled nervously.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I was kind of lost in my thoughts." Thade said with an unsure smile.

Seem only nodded.

"I guess you're wanting to use the washroom now?"

Seem only nodded again.

Thade stepped aside to allow Seem to enter. Seem slowly walked in, turned back to Thade. She said no words, and closed the door.

Thade, starring at the closed door, couldn't help but think of the look in Seem's eyes. Those ruby eyes burned with an intense inner flame, and Thade had seen that look before. It was a look of longing, but they where also confused.

Shaking the thought of his mind, Thade turned to walk down the hall, but then something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Looking to see what it was, Thade discovered that the washroom door was cracked open just a little bit, and he could see Seem in the room.

Thade tried not to focus on it, so he just walked away. But when he got halfway down the hall, there was another nagging sense in the back of his head. Unconsciously, he turned around and went back to the washroom door, and looked through the crack.

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Author's Notes: What's going to happen now? We shall see, and soon. Don't forget to read and review! Let me hear from ya!


	7. He Was there

Chapter Seven: He Was There

He never could find a proper name for it, whatever this state of mind is. He thought it was his Wastelander, seeing how it always pop up when he was in danger, that part of his mind that pulled the trigger or wielded the knife.

He thought it was just a more mature state, as it appears when he thinks about serious things, like when he was constructing the Twilight, what guns to use or what kind of engine he should use.

He also thought that it was that part that wasn't him. He becomes someone else. It was the part of him that knew the right time to fire his weapon, the right wrench to use, the part that examines details; it was the more adult, more serious Thade.

It was the warrior, the man, the Wastelander.

In short, it was the part of him that he got, from his father.

It was this same state of mind that got him thrown out into this desert, it was the same that helped him survive this long, it was the same that made him shave.

It was the part that was now making him watch what was before him, looking through the crack of the washroom door, and to the person on the other side.

Thade wrenched his gaze from the door, mentally (and physically) slapping himself.

What was he doing? Why would he even thing of such things? Seem is the leader of the Golden Order! High priestess of the monk temple!

"A woman." An irritating voice in the back of his mind said. "Put aside her rank and all the religious mumbo-jumbo; Seem is still a woman."

Thade closed his ears, not wanting to listen to the voice. But it rang loud and clear in his mind.

"Look for yourself, and you shall see. Who would know? You are alone."

Thade's mental battle was drawing to a close, as he slowly turned to the door, looking through the crack.

"I'm going to Hell for this." Was his last thought, peering though the crack.

The first thing that came to his sight was the tiled floor of the washroom. Following the lines of the tile upward, his eyes soon fell on alabaster skin.

Closing his eyes, and once more tried to pull away from the door (and failing), he returned his gaze.

Underneath all those heavy robes, kept well hidden from the world, lied a treasure that could make any man long for.

Long, chestnut hair, tied in a topknot, draped down over pale, slender shoulders. Narrow waist, curving down to well rounded hips. Long, elegant fingers caress, lithe, taut arms. Her skin damp from water, gleaming in the candlelight, creating a radiant white aura.

Seem was gone. What was standing in the shallow pool before Thade was an otherworldly being, a valiant goddess of beauty.

But Thade knew better then to think that this was an ordinary woman. No. The few scars on her back and the apparent muscles in her arms and shapely legs were evidence enough.

This was a Spargan woman. A goddess of beauty, yes, but also a goddess of the cruel desert.

Thade was looking at Seem from behind, getting a view of her back and everything lower. When she turned to get something on the edge of the pool, Thade quickly backed away from the door to avoid being seen, a great lump in his throat.

The muscle definition on Seem's firm stomach reminded Thade that this was a Wastelander woman. Most likely just as strong as he was, perhaps even stronger.

The Precursors only know of what kind of fury and wrath this goddess would unleash, once she discovers this lowly whelp gazing upon her forbidden beauty.

With that thought, Thade once more tried to pry himself away from the door. He succeeded this time, slumping onto the floor, resting his head against the wall next to the door.

Seem was still young, as Thade saw.

"This is wrong, so wrong." He mentally told himself. He tried to think of something else, to rid him of the images of Seem's hidden features, but it was failing.

Her slim body, her taut muscles and other unique traits of her flesh, burned into his brain.

"Nothing is wrong with this."

"But… My promise." Thade thought. "I promised Damas-"

"You promised to watch over Seem, to take care of her. What better way to keep an eye on her, then to be _with _her?"

"I can't do that to her! Blasphemy!" Thade shouted mentally.

"Oh cut the crap! You were never the religious type anyway! Besides, where are the other monks? Who did she trust to have her first beer with? Who did she trust to climb into a car with? Who did she trust to protect her from the dangers of the desert?

"Face it, Thade Rainer. This girl went against her own teaching more then once in two days. Where is the mob you fear? Nowhere! Ask yourself this question; why? Why did she remove her armor, the same armor she wore for ages? Why did she remove her hood, the same hood that the other monks wore? Why did she remove her ceremonial and customary face paint?

"I answer this question, with another; who is going to stop her? No one! Don't you see? There is no one left! She is the last of the Golden Order! She fled this temple to Spargus, because she was left alone. Who did she run into?"

Thade was left speechless, listening to the voice. As much as he hated the voice, it was right. So crudely and brutally right.

"When she was about to fall into a great pit of despair and loneliness, you where there to pick her up. Precursors only know what she might have done. But you were there. You are only elf, nothing evil. But you know what? So is Seem. She lived her life in the desert, _with_ the monks and their teachings. You were there to help her into the world she left."

Thade sat silently, letting all this sink in. It was all true, every word of it. He stood finally, glancing one last time through the crack of the door. His eyes did not fall upon Seem's alabaster flesh, but rather on her face.

Ruby eyes gleamed in the candlelight, her brow furrowed in deep thought. The lewd images of flesh had disappeared in Thade's mind, replaced with the images of Seem's smiling face, the sounds of her laughter, those red eyes shinning brilliantly.

Thade's heart was pumping hard, as he absorbed the innocent face of Seem, committing it to memory.

The childish part of his mind, the Thade that everyone knew and loved, had temporarily disappeared. The Wastelander, the Man, was now standing there, the irritating voice, his conscious, speaking loud and clear inside.

"Go now, leave her to her cleaning."

Thade, unconsciously nodded to the voice, turned, and walked down the hall.

Water washed over her flesh, soothing soar muscles. She reveled in the cool feeling, relaxing. It felt good to be in the water, washing away all the sand and pain.

But, her mind kept wondering to the strange Wastelander named Thade.

His smile, his laugh, his hazel eyes. But then, there was that one moment, when she saw _all_ of him.

No, it wasn't his nudity, it was, scars.

No, not scars, but a scar.

One, long, nasty one, going across his chest. How did he get such a horrible looking cut? Was it from a Metal Head? A vehicle accident? How long has it been there? What was he doing to get such mark?

His life must have been very hard. Father killed by the KB in Haven, thrown out into the desert at a young age, and his mother dying from an illness.

She wonder how his childhood was like, growing up with an ill mother and a farther that was never there.

She only wished she knew her parents. It would be interesting, if her grandfather never took her away, and Thade was never thrown out into the desert.

Would they, really, have met one day on the streets? Or, would they just pass each other, not even looking at the other?

Would Seem and Thade really have met and become friends?

Seem smiled slightly at the thought. It probably would have happened, one day or another. But, it was destiny for them to be out in the desert.

It was Thade's destiny to have tried to help him mom and get thrown out here as punishment, as it was Seem's mother's destiny to ask her grandfather to take her away.

Either way, hypothetically, they surly would have met, whether it was on the streets of Haven, or late one night in the desert.

Seem reached for a small trinket laying on top her pile of clothing. It was a small pendent, the last gift from her grandfather.

It was a bronze coin, etched on it was various images of people and Precursor writing on it.

She held the coin in her hand, watching it gleam slightly in the candlelight. And then, a thought stricken her.

If it was destiny for them to be out here in the Wasteland, was it destiny that they met? Was she supposed to fall, and he was there to catch her? If the scenario of them not out here was possible, would it still be destiny for them to meet?

Like, she trips on the street, and he was there to help her up?

Maybe, just maybe, this was all supposed to happen. Her meeting Thade, her staying with him, and the events that led them to the Temple.

She then realized it; she had brought Thade to the very place she wanted to avoid, the very place that she grew up in, and the place that made her feel so alone.

It _was _destiny! This was supposed to happen! She was supposed to bring the person that made her feel safe to the place that made her feel lonely!

But, why?

Was the temple tied to their destiny?

She sighed, sinking down into the water. If it was destiny, then what was going to happened now?

She was thinking so much, that she just now realized that she has been in the pool for quite some time.

"_Best not keep Thade waiting._" She thought, climbing out of the tub.

She then realized that she didn't have extra clothes to change into, so she just put on her loose shirt and the pair of britches she wore under her robes. She didn't put on her boots, so she just walked into the hall, leaving the rest of her clothes behind. She'll get around to them.

Something didn't feel right, when she walked into the hall. It was quiet, but it was a disturbing silence. She walked down the hall, her hair dripping and her bare feet padding silently.

When she came to her room, she found Thade kneeling at the end of her bed, examining her armor. He held the breastplate close to him, his fingers dragging over the gritty metal.

"I would like to apologize." She said silently. Thought she said it silently, Thade did jump by her voice, turning his head to see who it was.

Unlike last time, his face wasn't in a stern glare. Instead, his eyes were wide in surprise.

"Apologize? For what?" Thade asked.

Seem chuckled a little. "Sorry I saw you in the nude."

Thade blushed a bright red, turning back to the armor in his hands. "Very direct of you."

"I couldn't think of another way to approach it without sounding like a fool. So I'll just go out and say it." Said Seem, walking towards her armoire.

Thade looked over, and saw where she was heading. "I will leave the room for you."

She didn't know why she said it, but she looked over her shoulder to Thade, and said, very clearly, "It's ok, just don't turn around."

What? Why did she say that?

Thade blushed more, turning his head back to the armor, and shifted himself till his back was towards her.

Seem blushed herself, thinking of a reason to why she had said that. But it has already been said, and so, she opened her armoire and picked out a simple shirt and a pair of loose pants.

She looked over her shoulder to Thade, to see that he was still focused on the armor. Reluctantly, she began to undress herself, replace her old clothing with the new. She peered over her shoulder periodically, seeing Thade never moved an inch.

When she was done, she turned back to Thade. "I'm finished."

Thade slowly turned around, seeing Seem fully dressed in new clothing. His face was still a little red, but not so much.

"It's getting late. We should turn in for the night." Thade said, placing the armor back and stood up. "I can ride out tomorrow with one of the Leapers, get a tank for the Twilight."

He walked over to the door, but then stopped and looked back to Seem. "I can use one of the other monk's rooms, right?"

Surprisingly, Seem shook her head. "I… I would like…Um…"

Thade looked at Seem confused. Seem's face was flushed, her eyes looking at Thade in that longing but confused way.

Thade could see the inner conflict through those eyes; she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how he was going to react.

"Is there something you need me to do?" Thade asked. Seem flinched at his voice, but she seemed to soften a bit.

"Can you, stay with me again, tonight?"

She was expecting Thade to blush, stammer and sit on the chair that was at the other end of the room.

But, he just smiled to her, and nodded his head slowly. "If that is what you need me to do, then I will."

Relived. She felt relived when he said that, and she smiled right back at him.

She sat down on her bed and looked over to Thade, and what she saw made her heart jump. He had removed the robe she gave him along with his shirt.

She saw that scar again, but that was not she was focused on. His face was soft, but his eyes where stern. He walked to the other side of the room close to a lantern, looking over to her.

"You don't wish to be alone tonight?" He asked.

Seem blushed. His voice was deeper, but it was calm.

She nodded her head to him to answer his question. "I would like to have you here, so it won't seem so lonely in here."

Thade nodded his head. "I understand."

He turned, and blew out the lantern, covering all in darkness.

Seem lied down on her bed, and she could hear Thade walk across the room and sat down on the chair.

There was silence, save for their breathing. She lied there for a while, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, and looking over to the silhouette that was Thade.

She drifted to sleep.

She had a dream. She was sitting on the edge of the oasis, the full moon above, and a gentle breeze in the air. She turned, and saw Thade's Twilight parked not to far off, and Thade himself leaning on it.

He looked different. His hair was longer, slicked back, and he had a brown, thick goatee on his chin. He was dressed differently as well. He wore a dark leather duster, a black twisted looking shoulder plate and dark britches. In his hands was this large rifle, painted to match his Twilight.

He looked up towards her, smiling and place his rifle down. He extended a gloved hand to her, beckoning her to come closer.

Seem took a step forward, and suddenly the winds grew more powerful. Soon, it was a brutal storm brewing, obscuring her view. She could see Thade fighting to keep to his feet, but then he was gone, the flesh tearing winds carrying him and the Twilight away.

She cried out to him, but her throat burned, and no words came forth.

She sudden snapped awake, sitting up swiftly on her bed.

It was a storm; she could hear the winds blowing outside.

"Are you ok?"

Seem looked over to see Thade, still sitting in the chair, looking over to her, his eyes worried. "You where mumbling in your sleep. Sounded like a nightmare."

Seem nodded to him, shifting on her bed. "It started off nice, but then you blew away."

"I blew away?" Thade suddenly asked.

Seem then realized what she said. She looked back to Thade, and saw that he was now standing up. "Why were you dreaming about me being blown away?"

"I…I…I…" Seem started to stutter.

She didn't know what to say, what to do. But, as Thade drew closer to her, she saw the worry in his eyes, like he knew why she dreamed, but wanted her to say it anyway.

"I'm afraid that, you might leave me too." She finally said.

Thade had now sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over to Seem. "Why would I leave you? I mean, we are just now starting to know each other. It would suck to stop now."

Seem shook her head. "That's not just it."

Her voice was silent, and Thade, surprised, saw a single tear run down her cheek. She started to stutter again, trying to say what she wanted. But then she stopped, her face growing sad.

"I don't know what's going on." She said softly.

"What do you mean?" Thade asked.

Seem looked up at him, her eyes holding back tears, once more looked longing but confused.

"What is it about you that make me feel safe?" She then asked, her voice shaky.

Thade didn't know what to say, fearing that she was going to have another breakdown. Another tear fell down her cheek as she started to breathe irregularly.

"I don't know why, but I feel so, happy, when your with me. I feel safe, I feel better, and I feel happy. But, I don't know why, I just don't understand it. Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel so calm, so peaceful?"

Seem's eyes looked deeply into Thade's, and Thade nearly cried himself. She was a wreck. She was so confused, so troubled over these questions, that it was scaring her. She leaned forward and laid her head on Thade's chest, softly crying.

"I dreamed that I saw you, and you wanted me to come closer. When I did, a storm suddenly appeared and blew you away. I tried to call for you, but I couldn't. It scared me, because you where gone, and I was left alone in the storm, my throat and eyes burning."

Thade wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head. "Please, Seem. I won't leave you, I'm staying right here. Please, don't cry."

"But I don't know why." She cried out, wrapping her arms tightly around Thade.

"I know why." Thade said, and Seem looked up to him, her eyes anxious. "I know why you feel this way."

"Please, please tell me." Seem begged silently.

"But, you know the answer, because, I feel the same way." Thade told her.

Seem only grew more confused. "I don't understand."

"Just say that needs to be said. Not the words in your mind, but the words in your heart." Thade said.

Seem looked at him for a few seconds, before her face softened, lying her head back on his chest. "But, I don't know if it's true."

"Maybe, if you just say it, you will feel better." Thade said.

Seem shook her head. "I… I don't… I can't."

Thade reached up and curled a finger gently around her chin, pushing so she would look up at him. Teary ruby eyes met with worried hazel ones. He would coax it out of her, with the only way he knew how.

He leaned forward, and Seem's heart began to beat heavily.

And then, their lips met in a chaste kiss, and at that moment, everything did not matter. Time seemed to cease, sounds fade to nothing, and Seem's troubled mind calmed.

He was so warm, and so soft. She held him tightly, not letting him go.

The kiss was so simple, not too sensual or anything. But, as simple as it was, it meant so much more to Seem. It meant the truth, it was the answer she was looking for, and it was something that she had denied herself for too long.

Who knew how long the kiss lasted. But, neither of them cared, time was nothing now.

The kiss drew to a close, as Thade slowly backed away, looking into Seem's watery eyes, and another tear rolled down her cheek. But they both smiled, for they knew that she was happy now, no longer troubled, no longer confused.

Thade held her, as she softly cried, those words finally being spoken.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Precursors only know what the future holds, and what would have happened if Thade wasn't there. But he was, when no one else was. He saved her, not from falling off a rock, but slipping into depression. He made her smile, made her laugh, made her feel safe, because no one else would.

He was there.

--------------------The End--------------------


End file.
